The £43 sell-out socks that are worth the splurge

Telegraph

24-03-2025

The pairing of socks and sandals used to be an outré choice. Mockable, a cliché synonymous with tourists abroad, the preserve of the person who values comfort over style.
No longer.
For 2025, a jazzy sock — from those featuring a touch of glitter to full heel-to-toe sheen — are heralded as an unbeatable way to put an instant spring in your step. With many styles available for less than the price of a couple of cups of coffee, a shiny sock offers an instant way to pep up an outfit and make an old shoe feel new again.
Top of the fashion pack's wish list — although not necessarily the most affordable pair — is the hosiery from Milanese brand Maria La Rosa who, since introducing their £43 cult-favourite 'One Ribbed Laminated' metallic socks in 2020, have sold about 25,000 pairs - more than half of which were in the last 12 months. Made from a finely woven silk and polyamide blend and available in 40 colours, the socks get their incredible mirror-like sheen from a reflective foil coating, a design which took three years to develop.
Ribbed laminated socks, £43, Maria La Rosa
These are just the latest step in the rehabilitation of the stylish sock. While statement hosiery was first popularised by Madonna in the 1980s, the 90s saw skateboarders as the sole pioneer of visible socks, donning sports versions pulled-up to the calf teamed with baggy shorts.
But then the accessory went under the radar, quite literally (who remembers the travesty that is/ was trainer socks?) until the early 2010s, when high fashion embraced the socks and strappy shoes combo on the catwalks, particularly labels like Prada and Miu Miu.
Lurex socks, £14, Anthropologie
Come 2017 though and the humble sock began to enjoy a mainstream redux, and in ways that were eminently wearable for the modern woman, from logo-tastic looks to sheer embroidered pop socks, slinky lurex numbers to college-style sports socks.
The same year, musician Rihanna made headlines after going out in a pair of $1,340 (£1,050) crystal-encrusted Gucci socks. Next, models Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner sported the look on the catwalk and at the Cannes Film Festival (respectively), before actor Jenna Ortega chose the style statement for an awards show appearance in July of that year. But how to wear them without looking like a tweenager?
Sarah Tomczak is Editor-in-Chief of Red Magazine and also a statement sock aficionado who offers advice on how the look can work on a grown-up. 'Miuccia Prada first convinced me of the sartorial allure of the sock-and-sandal combo,' she says. 'Along with fellow Italian fashion house Marni, she sent the pairing down the catwalk at least a decade ago, instantly inspiring a lot of trend-conscious women to follow suit – including me. While I might not wear my sandals with knee-high socks, (per the runways) in the chillier months I add a sparkly ankle sock to open-toed sandals for the evening and I regularly wear my loafers with fine ribbed socks – usually in caramel, although I love a pop of red too.' Indeed, while 20-somethings may embrace socks with glitter and embellishments with a bare leg or skirt, a flash of glittery sock peeking from beneath an ankle-grazing trouser and teamed with a chunky flat shoe is an accessible and elevated way for the less fashion forward to dip their toe in the trend.
Alongside jumpers and accessories, British knitwear brand Genevieve Sweeney makes everything from sparkly to walking socks from carefully considered yarns. Sweeney herself says socks are 'a small but powerful style statement' and a fantastic way to try out the new season's colours and trends without a big investment.
'They're an effortless way to update a look, adding a pop of colour, texture, or a hint of sparkle that feels both playful and considered,' she says. 'There's something about a shimmering sock that instantly elevates an outfit and brings a little joy throughout the day when you catch a glimpse of your feet.'